- Vankwani says visionary philosopher being portrayed as a negative character in Pakistan
Member of National Assembly Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, who is patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council, has proposed to establish a world-class university in Taxila to acknowledge Chanakya – a great visionary philosopher, thinker, teacher, economist, jurist and royal adviser.
Traditionally, Chanakya is identified as Kauṭilya or Vishnugupta, who authored the ancient political treatise, the Arthashastra. As such, he is considered the pioneer of the field of political science and economics, and his work is thought of as an important precursor to classical economics.
Chanakya assisted the first Mauryan emperor Chandragupta in his rise to power. He is widely credited for having played an important role in the establishment of the Maurya Empire. Chanakya served as the chief adviser to both emperors – Chandragupta and his son Bindusara.
Exchanging his views with the media, Dr Vankwani said that Arthashastra, the book written by the ancient philosopher, covers different topics including administration, foreign policy and justice system. “While the world recognises him a great visionary philosopher, Chanakya is being portrayed as a negative Brahmin character in his own country of birth,” he regretted.
“Scholars admit that the Arthashastra is still very much influential, most particularly to understand the political scenario and diplomatic relations among different nations,” he said. “We must feel honour for having the land where once Chanakya used to spread wisdom and in this regard, I would like to propose establishing Chanakya University for Political and Social Sciences at Taxila,” he said.
He said that the doors of proposed university could also be opened for foreign students, which will result in projecting knowledge-friendly, prejudice-free, and positive image of Pakistan on international level. According to the historians, Chanakya was born during 371 BCE at Taxila, where he spent his entire life.
The book originally written in Sanskrit language is translated in to different languages including English and Urdu. Artha means prosperity, wealth or economic security while Shastra is the Sanskrit word for rules or science.
